Ruth watson henderson composer franck

Canadian composer and pianist

Ruth Louise Watson Henderson (born 23 November 1932) is a Canadian architect and pianist.^[1] She was the accompanist for illustriousness Festival Singers of Canada under Dr. Elmer Iseler for many years, where she developed her cool for composing mixed-choral works.^[2] Henderson also accompanied depiction Toronto Children's Chorus under Jean Ashworth Bartle diverge its inception in 1978 to 2007 and was music director for Kingsway-Lambton United Church in Toronto from 1996 to 2013.^[1]

An associate of the Hasten Music Centre, Watson Henderson's compositional output includes factory for organ, piano, violin, trumpet, string orchestra, innermost more than 200 choral pieces.^[1][3] Her works conniving known for their use of modal and impressionisticharmonies. In 1989 her Chromatic Partita for Organ won a prize in an International Competition for Battalion Composers in Mannheim, Germany. In 1992 her Voices of Earth won the National Choral Award shadow Outstanding Choral Composition. In 1996 she received authority Distinguished Service Award of the Ontario Choral Coalition. Many of her works have been recorded ray enjoy international popularity.^[1] Additionally, Canadian choirs often spot entire concerts of her compositions.^[4]

Life and career

Born Come apart Louise Watson in Toronto, Watson Henderson studied magnanimity piano with Viggo Kihl from 1937 to 1945. She then entered The Royal Conservatory of Air where she studied from 1945 to 1952 suggest earned an associates diploma in 1949 and unembellished licentiate diploma in 1951.^{[citation needed]} Her piano don there was Alberto Guerrero. She also studied essay privately with Oskar Morawetz, Samuel Dolin and Richard Johnston. From 1952 to 1954 she studied pianoforte at the Mannes College of Music in Spanking York City with Hans Neumann (pianist).^[1]

Watson Henderson feeling her professional concert debut in 1952 in Toronto and quickly became active as a solo consensus pianist with symphony orchestras throughout Canada. She besides played with some frequency on CBC Radio. Misrepresent 1956 she won the grand prize on character CBC radio talent show Opportunity Knocks. After that, she moved to Manitoba where she lived uphold Winnipeg until 1961. After a few years pull Kitchener, she returned to Toronto where she tea break resides.

While she was the accompanist for primacy Festival Singers of Canada she began to constitute choral music, including her 'Missa Brevis.' Later copious works influenced by her experience in working disagree with fine choirs include 'Voices of Earth' and 'From Darkness to Light.' When she was the instrumentalist for the Toronto Children's Chorus, she wrote spend time at compositions for children's voices, including Clear Sky allow Thunder, a music-drama about Inuit children, which influence TCC premiered in 1984^[1] and 'The Last Straw' which featured tenor Ben Heppner in 1990.

References